The Best GIFs of the G20

A day of rage descended on Hamburg last week as opponents faced off and old battle lines were re-drawn…and that’s without talking about the violent protests surrounding the G20 summit.

Perhaps the rage wasn’t as palpable in the summit itself as Trump continued to isolate himself on his own island of one, prompting mutterings of a ‘G19+1’ rebranding. The summit was not, however, a complete loss. A plethora of atmospheric photos and cringe inducing GIFs emerged to satiate the masses. We’ve got a round-up of the best here, but first, we answer the question on everyone’s lips. What is the protocol on where leaders stand during the agonising photoshoot?

Onlookers were aghast as they saw Emmanuel Macron, seemingly out of disdainful arrogance, pushing past leaders to take his place on the front row of the photoshoot. This was not, however, evidence of a petulant upstart rising above his station. In fact, it’s all in the protocol, diplomacy’s most hallowed guiding principle. According to the rules, the longest-serving leaders are placed in the centre of the photo, whilst the newest are shunted to the edges, hence why Macron struts to Trump’s right hand side. What complicates matters is that each row represents a different type of leader. Top row for international organisations, second row for prime ministers, and front row for presidents. Merkel, the long-suffering hostess of the summit, was given special dispensation to stand front and centre.

Now the interesting stuff is out the way, here are a selection of the best photos and gifs that emerged from the summit.

Merkel adopts the: “If I can’t see you, you don’t exist” tactic.

The two seem as surprised as all of us about the situation

Merkel whips out an eye-roll so savage it created its own gravitational pull.